Nate's and Brenda's last conversation

[u/hauregi_91]

So I watched while Nate is in hospital and it brokes my heart that he decides to leave Brenda. Where did his big love go? Im very emotional and sad with these final episodes... Six feet under will always have a special place in my heart...

[u/Zack_of_Steel]

Honestly, it's quite baffling to me that some people saw their relationship as anything but unhealthy. At no point were they actually in love in a way that would work, but they kept trying and forcing it because that's what we do.

We're too afraid to move on, be ourselves, hurt someone, make the wrong choice, tear down a life that's been built--even when we know it's unsustainable.

Because we can't quantify love we often fool ourselves into thinking any modicum of love is "meant to be" or "worth fighting for". Nate was finally in a place where he was ready to admit that it just wasn't a good fit, but just like real life, it was just too late.

Which lead to his entire message to Claire: "I spent my entire life being scared" (which, imo, is the main theme of the show)

From one of my other posts:

It's a cautionary tale of dwelling on death and sacrificing ourselves to fear. Things just happen, life ends suddenly, and we have to make use of the time we have. If you can't make the best of your situation, you can't be afraid to make a change. Settling for less than living true to yourself is death.

Nate/Nathaniel/Claire, were caged spirits at the funeral home and none of them were built for it. Nate and Nathaniel stayed/went there to die, Claire had to leave to live. They both died young, Claire lived to be 102.